YOUR REASON WHY: HOW VALUES FUEL THE VISION FRAME

Let’s face it, everyone is busy. I have yet to meet a person who has told me that they have nothing to do all day (unless your the Dude). Perhaps you have someone say to you, “I would really love to be more involved in your church plant, but I am just too busy.” This used to really frustrate me as a planter, until I finally realized that every single person has the exact same 24 hours to work with each day. So the question is, what do people do with those 24 hours? The answer was a little obvious, people make time for what they value. I consider myself to be as busy as the next person. Every Sunday I preach at my church, which I value. However, if you told me that you had tickets to see the Patriots play this Sunday at Gillette stadium, then I would find a fill in preacher and hop on the next plane to Boston.

Too often as church planters, we do not really think about what we value. Sure we might say generic values like “community, kingdom, Bible, etc.” But do we stop and consider what those values really mean for us and our ministry? How do our values fuel our passion? Values are your reason why you do what you do. It is a critical side to a vision frame. At Gospel Ventures, one of our values is “missional interaction” meaning that we greatly value collaborating together with other churches reaching our neighborhoods and communities in ways that benefit everyone. That value helps us see clearly our vision to “see a force of healthy and diverse leaders collaborating to multiply churches so our cities look more like the kingdom of God.” People who share that value are more eager to come aboard and be part of what we are doing. There is no concern for busyness because people will value it and make the time.

Take time to think about your values. What do you value most in life? What values are important to you and your ministry? What values do others hold on your team? How consistent are your values with the values of your team? A clear understanding of your reason why, in the form of values, will be the rocket fuel towards you seeing God’s preferred future.